Sharing What I Want for My Future: Family, Career, and Travel

I know planning your future can be a silly thing, especially when we were all planning how amazing 2020 would be *sigh*. The future is never guaranteed, but that doesn't mean we can't dream of the things we want for ourselves: the career worth pursuing, the family we want to grow, the world destinations we wish to visit—it's something to motivate and inspire us. Today, I thought I'd share a couple things that I'd like for my future in hopes that they may inspire you to think about what you want in your own life. There's no shame in wanting your dream life, and doing what you can to make it happen.

1. Family

Family is one of the most important things to me. Even though my family has had their own share of drama, sadness, and loss just like any other family—they are the ones I feel the safest and most at-home with. And now that I've been a nanny for about 3 years now—along with becoming a big sister for the third and fourth time to twin little sisters—I've come to realize how much I enjoy children (even if they can be enormous turds).

For a long time I kept telling myself I didn't want kids because I didn't think I'd be a good mother. Many women choose not to have children, and that's fine! A woman should have the freedom to choose whether or not she wants to be a mother. For me, I was against the idea because of an insecurity within myself and my abilities to keep a small human alive. But these past few years have given me the confidence to see that I can care for children, and that kids actually really like me (for some reason).

I see how my extended family gathers together for the major holidays, and how my cousins are getting married, having children, and buying homes. It's a heartwarming thing to see my family grow and start a whole new generation, and I'd like to have that for myself. I want to be married; have a home; and a few children (we'll see how many I can handle as an actual mom and not a big sissy or nanny). I want to see my kids grow up; to take them to see my parents for dinner on Sundays; take family trips to Disneyland when they're old enough (I'm not going there with a stroller; no way in hell); visit their cousins and have extended family get-togethers like I did growing up.

This is something I know I want, and even though having kids is HARD (the hardest job you can have), I know having a family is important to me.

2. Career

I'm still on the fence as to what I want my career to be. Sometimes I want to work in a museum, other times I think about going full-time with my blog and YouTube channel, then I revert to "I should just do a standard office job to have a stable salary." It's still confusing for me to settle on just one thing, but I do know I want to have a career that allows me to be creative, write, and support myself and my future family.

I want a career that will give me financial freedom, where I won't ever have to worry about paying the bills or setting up a retirement fund. My career will be fulfilling, allow me to meet quality people, and keep me motivated. I'm sure this is something most of us want, and it's worth chasing whatever career we have our hearts set on.

3. Travel

Tied in with my desire for a family and fulfilling career, I want to be able to travel a couple times a year. I want to travel for work, as well as take a family vacation at least once a year (preferably to a non-English speaking country so we can be exposed to a new language). Traveling and language-learning is incredibly important to me; I want to see the multitude of cultures the world has to offer, and show my children that the world is full of different ways of living—with people who look vastly different from one another.

Here are a few countries I know I want to visit either on my own, or with my family: Japan, Russia, Cambodia, India, Morocco, Canada, and so many more. The only way I'm spoiling my kids is with the opportunity to see the world; it's a privilege so few have. I want to give my family the chance to see the diversity of the planet instead of being surrounded by people who look exactly like them, speak like them, and act like them.

Well, that was just a snippet of what I'd like my future to look like. Life can change in an instant, but that doesn't mean we can't have dreams for the future. Jot down what matters most to you, and manifest it into your life.